Construction and Culture: Old Trafford Stadium - Research Paper Example

Instruction: Contents Instruction Contents 2 Construction and Culture- Old Trafford Stadium (Manchester United Stadium) 3 Abstract 3 Old Trafford 4 References 14 Construction and Culture- Old Trafford Stadium (Manchester United Stadium) Abstract The Old Trafford football stadium or otherwise known as the theatre of dreams is home of one of the world’s biggest and most famous football clubs, Manchester United. Common knowledge reveals that it is the biggest football ground in the United Kingdom. It was nicknamed ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ by Manchester United's famous captain Sir Bobby Charlton. In spite of current refurbishments that have maintained the stadium looking silky and modern, it still has an irrefutable impression. Old Trafford was the premiere stadium to have a ring of seats and stands that completely surrounded the pitch. Opened in 1910, Old Trafford was originally intended to hold eighty thousand spectators, making it the second-largest sports ground in the country following Wembley Stadium. The clubs rich history from its founding in 1878 to date is all preserved in the Manchester United Museum whilst the Hall of Fame reveres numerous soccer athletes who have assisted the team, Manchester United, rule the English football league throughout the years. The Trophy Room displays sufficient silver and brass that can try to outshine the Crown Jewels. Introduction The Industrial Revolution began in the late 18th century in England. It has been extensively well-known that from the conclusion of the 18th century, essential economic and social transformation occurred in England and afterward, in other places, including a remarkable increase in countrywide population sizes, brought about by a more rapid growth of existing towns and cities, changing birth and mortality rates, predominantly in capital cities as well as the manifestation of new social classes associated to people’s place as workers within the industry or as the owners of industries in the manufacturing process. In addition to the aforementioned reasons for the economic and social developments, progress in transportation and networks of communication also propelled the movement. The Industrial Revolution, as noted by historians, was marked by important changes in society. These changes incorporated advancements in agriculture, such as the implementation of new systems of farming and the creation of new equipment which permitted for an amplified availability of food as well as the expansion of new machinery in industrial manufacture from increases in information that were more often than not the product of informed empiricism and practical experiences. This revolution and its civilization at the time, saw to the spread of the football culture in Britain and consequently to the construction of soccer stadiums. Old Trafford In its early days the Manchester United (Newton Heath) club used to play on different pitches before moving to North Road Monsall in the year 1880 (Manutd.com- The Official Website, 2011). This pitch was among the worst pitches in the entire league. It was always covered with the smoke from the nearby industry. It is also to mention that poor condition of the pitch was due to the uneven cover of gravel to marsh. The pitch was originally opened in 1909, after the club shifted its base from their old ground at Bank Lane, Clayton. An interesting observation is that the pitch only had one covered stand, with standing room only, for several years but it offered untold luxuries - tea-rooms, tip-up seats and attendants to politely point the way. Following serious financial debt and expenses, Sir John Henry Davies rescued the team from grave bankruptcy and renaming by giving away a grand total of sixty thousand pounds in 1909 for the purchase and development of a site at Trafford Park. The novel ground next to the Bridgewater Canal, which was near the Northern end of the Warwick Road in Old Trafford, was complete and ready for utilization on the 22nd of January, 1910 (TheFootyNet, 2011). Designed by Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, who planned numerous other stadia, the ground was previously intended to have a carrying capacity of about one thousand people, and featured covered sitting room in the south stand, while the three stands that were left remaining, were left without cover and kept as terraces out in the open. However, as costs began to go up, to arrive at the planned capacity would have cost an additional thirty thousand over the original estimation and, subsequent to a proposal made by the club secretary J. J. Bentley, the carrying capacity of the facility was reduced to just about eighty thousand people. Building was done by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester (HubPages, 2011). On 27 December 1920, Old Trafford hosted its largest pre-Second World War crowd for a united league match, as 70,504 fans watched Aston Villa win over the Red Devils 3–1. The stadium or new grounds hosted its debut intercontinental football match on the 17th of March 1926 which saw Scotland beat England 1-0 before a spectator crowd of about fifty thousand fans. On the 25th of March 1939, a record 76,962 dedicated fans watched an FA Cup semi-final that features Wolverhampton Wanderers verses Grimsby Town (TheFootyNet, 2011). However, upon the uprising of the Second World War, Old Trafford was requested by the armed forces to be utilized as a storage space area. Soccer matches continued to be attended and played unrelenting at the stadium, but on the 22nd of December 1940 saw a German violence raid on Trafford Park, which causes gross damage to the stadium up to the position where on Christmas day of that year, saw the match against Stockport County being switched to Stockport's field. Football started off again at Old Trafford on the 8th of March 1941, but it was a short-lived victory. On the 11th of March 1941 another German raid damaged a lot of areas in the stadium, particularly the main stand. Fortunately, after much influence from James W. Gibson, the owner of United, the War Damage Commission gave Manchester United ?4,800 to take away the wreckage and an additional seventeen and a half thousand pounds to reconstruct the stands. By 1951, the Main Stand’s roof was restored and, just about right away, the three remaining stands were roofed, the process ending with the inclusion of a roof to the Stratford End. In order to avoid obtrusive shades being cast on the field, two sections of the Main Stand roof were cut away (TheStadiumGuide, 2004). The primary match to be played beneath floodlights at Old Trafford was a match between Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United on the 25th of March 1957. On the 6th of February 1958, an airplane transporting the Manchester United soccer team went down upon take-off. Twenty-three people died, including eight players as the team was getting back home from a European Cup match. With each subsequent development finished to the land from the time when the Second World War ended, the capacity diminished progressively. However, the spectators still suffered from the trouble of blocked views because of the pillars that held up the roofs, even though the spectators now had the ability to be able to see the players at nighttime. The United directors, encouraged by the fast approaching World Cup, the directors completely redesign the grounds on the East and North stands. In 1965, the pillars from the old roof were replaced with contemporary style cantilevering which were placed at the very top of the roof, giving every fan a totally unobstructed view. The United Road stand was extended, as well to hold twenty thousand spectators of whom ten thousand were to be standing at the front and another ten thousand were to be seated. The refurbishment cost a total of three hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Mather and Nutter, the new stand’s architects, reshuffled the grouping of the stands to have a bigger seated area towards the rear, terracing at the front, and the earliest personal seating boxes at a British soccer stadium (ManUtdTalk, 2009). With the first two stands changed to cantilevers, the club's owners came up a plan intended for the long-term to also extend the same strategic engineering done on this area to the other remaining two stands, and modify the stadium into a bowl-like sports ground. The roof was completed around the borders of the sporting arena in 1973 as well as the replacement for the old labor-intensive scoreboard. The traditional scoreboard was replaced by an electronic one in the north-east corner and the addition of five thousand seats to the Scoreboard End. A three million pound renovation began by the extension of the stadium to include the addition of the Main Stand’s Executive Suite. The view within the stadiums restaurant was, however, blocked by the pillars that were supporting the roof despite having the cafe overlook the pitch. Therefore, a cantilever design replaced the Main Stand, which was the same type of roofs of both the United Road Stand and the Scoreboard End. The cantilever and the Executive Suite roof were then stretched to reach the complete length of the stand, which ultimately allowed for the moving of the offices of the club, to the Main Stand from the south-east corner. In 1985, the south-east quadrant was then replaced, after being removed, with an area characterized by a seating area which attracted a total seating capacity of the stadium to 25,686 resulting in an overall of 56,385 (MailOnline, 2010). The conclusion of the cantilever roof around three sides of the stadium worked to provide the addition of a row of floodlights around the inside rim of the roof. The old floodlight pylons were successfully replaced in the year 1987. During the mid nineties the stadium underwent through more significant series’ of alterations and developments. Each and every tribune apart from the Main Stand was recreated and new services for instance the private boxes and the general quarter of Manchester United and a museum were added as well. The stadium, throughout the years, became the ultimate destination of several typical Manchester fans, also known as the Red Devils, whose final wills entailed that their ashy remains to be spread in the rear the two doors. The renowned unforgettable coach of Man United during the fifties and sixties, Sir Matt Busby, also established his last destination at the stadium and his sculpture was set up in front of the central entry. Standing on the outside wall of the Old Trafford Stadium, is a working clock that is a representative monument to every single person who died during the Munich air crash. Due to what many fans describe as a magical atmosphere and fascinating aura in and around its playing field, Old Trafford has been nicknamed The Theatre of Dreams thank to its fascination. The outer part of the stadium, in contrast, has a more unidentified quality with great a part of varied or assorted bricks alternated with outsized Plexiglas windows and enclosed by a striking structure made of steel that is made up of rectangular beams that support and hold up the roof. The stadium looks like a gigantic mass storage house or warehouse, when seen from a little distance, emerging sandwiched between the characteristic small brick houses which were a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution era and was one of the first cities affected by this particular era (AboutManU, 2011). However, another huge blow to the Old Trafford sitting capacity, all clubs English clubs were required to have an all seating stadium which further cut back the number of people able to access the stadium to forty four thousand at any on e given time. It is also important to note that during the early 90's, the ground development was complete and finally Manchester United had one of the most beautiful arenas across the world. The club's resurgence in success and raise in fame in the early 1990s ensured that further expansion would have to be effected. Construction commenced in 1995 on a spanking new North Stand, which was to be completed and prepared in time for the hosting of three group games in the Old Trafford stadium as well as a semi and quarter-final at the Euro 96. As a consequence of this expansion, the club bought the twenty acre site on Trafford Park trading estate, for 9.2 million pounds in the month of March, 1995. However, construction did not begin until the end of the 1994 season but was fully constructed by the month of May in 1996 (Stadiums, 2009). Hilstone Laurie (construction and project manager) worked with Campbell Reith Hill (structural engineer) to develop the innovative three-tiered stand expenditure was a total of 18.65 million pounds just on construction, and had a capacity of about 25,500, increasing the capacity of the whole ground to in the region of 55,000. Measuring almost 60 meters from the back wall to the front edge, the cantilever roof would also be the biggest in Europe. Further achievements over the following few years was assured yet more development was slow. Firstly, a second tier was added to the East Stand. When the stadium was opened in January 2000, its capacity was momentarily enlarged to contain about sixty one thousand people, until the chance to make use of the West Stand's second tier, which would add another seven thousand seats further raising the capacity to 68,217. Old Trafford hosted its first main European final match three years later. The club hosted to the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final between Milan and Juventus. Old Trafford in the only stadium among all the stadia in England to receive the UEFA Five star rating, creating it into a historic spot for England (WorldStadiums, 2011). The year 2005 saw the building of the two quadrants in the West or North East corners increasing the capacity to over seventy six thousand, and remains the way Old Trafford at present stands for all to see. Old Trafford also boasts of having a museum. Located on Sir Matt Busby Way at Old Trafford, the museum is at the centre of the compound in the North Stand, which was previously referred to as the United Road stand. Three tiers tall, the stand can hold up to a capacity of about twenty six thousand spectators, which constitutes the most number of people of the four stands. The North Stand which was opened in its current state in 1996 can also contain some more fans in executive boxes. The North Stand, having until that time been a single-tiered stand, opened in its current state in 1996. The North stand (the club’s main stand on the ground), accommodates a lot of the grounds additional well-liked facilities, including the Manchester United museum, a Manchester themed restaurant and bar named the Red Cafe and trophy room. The Manchester United Museum was initially opened in 1986 as the first and the only kind in the world, in the south-east corner of the ground until 1998 when it was relocated to the redeveloped North Stand. The museum was opened on the 11th of April 1998, by Pele and currently attracts more than two hundred thousand guests annually (BSI, 2011). The museum tracks the history of the club through over one thousand exhibits with enlightening interactive displays, from its modest beginning in 1878. The club witnessed very first top-flight league championship win in the year 1908. These included the silverware treasure chest won in the post-war era, not least the 1968 European Cup and the 1999 treble as well as stories of triumphs and catastrophes in between. The European Cup was the first cup that was won by an English club. Old Trafford makes for a fascinating story. The South Stand which was initially Old Trafford's main stand sits opposite the North stand and although the South Stand was only a single-tiered stand, it contains nearly all of the stadiums executive suites, also hosts any VIPs who may attend a match and watch the game. Seating for members of the media, is at the most strategic place that is at the centre of the Upper South Stand, to grant them the finest view of the match. The television scaffold is also in the South Stand with television studios being situated at each end of the South Stand. MUTV, the club's in-house television station, is situated in the East studio and other television stations, such as Sky and BBC are located in the West studio. In 2003 old Trafford improved its facility to accommodate disabled people .Facilities for supporters with disabilities at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium are widely regarded as the best in the country, setting standards for other clubs to follow (ForeverManUnited, 2011). Over the past 15 years, the club has increasingly enhanced its supplies and now provides more than one hundred wheelchair easy to get to places with unobstructed sightlines for groups with disabilities. The club provides an audio account of games by means of a radio channel for fans with visual impairments in accordance to the stadiums goal to improve access and sightlines (MailOnline, 2010). The Ability Suite, developed by the club in association with Vodafone, provides a special area on match days for spectators with disabilities but is transformed into a community and social arena during the week. The total sum of construction costs is estimated at a hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Old Trafford continue to holds plans to boost the capacity of the stadium further, with the subsequent stage, leading to a reconstruction and reconstruction of the South Stand, which, unlike the rest of the stadium, has been maintained as a single tier stand. A duplication of the North Stand expansion and North-East and -West Quadrants is likely to see the stadium's capacity go up to approximately ninety five thousand spectators, a much higher capacity than Wembley Stadium. Any such construction and development is likely to cost roughly one million pounds due to the nearness of the railway line that runs next to the stadium. Having gone through the history it has, Old Trafford is still outshined by up to date stadiums that are constructed with high-tech technology, one example being the emirates stadium. The Emirates stadium, home to Manchester United’s rival club or team Arsenal, is situated in the London Borough of Islington. The stadium is the third largest soccer stadium in England after Wembley and the Twickenham rugby ground and was officially opened in July 2006. The cost of assembly and construction is projected at around four hundred and thirty pounds, although this was to some extent sponsored by the airline Emirates who settled on naming rights in relation to the club. The stadium is complete with four tiers. It should be noted that the upper and lower tiers were the largest and cheapest. One of the middle tiers features premium priced tickets whilst the other holds the executive boxes (Stadiums, 2009). The stadium was designed by HOK Sport, who is the Architects of The English National Stadium in Wembley, Stadium Australia in Sydney, and Royal Ascot Racecourse and Wimbledon Centre Court. The stadium is said to have created one thousand eight hundred jobs as a result of the new stadium project, in the Borough of Islington. It has a capacity for up to two hundred and fifty wheelchair users as well as boasts that these locations are provided at all corporate and public levels all through the structure. It also has around two hundred and fifty food preparation serving points about the new stadium. There are also forty one TV camera positions throughout the stadium, as well as two hundred and fifteen seats for the media. However, the future of stadium construction still remains uncharted. Having learnt from the past the future of stadium construction, I think if old Trafford was to be constructed today, a lot of technology would applied (HubPages, 2011). Conclusion One thing that would be added would be a giant screen that would be erected in the middle of the stadium; this would enable people to follow the game from all areas of the stadium from the screen. This kind of technology has been adapted by the American football and it seems to work. The other area that would be improved would the roofing. Most of the stadiums built today have Retractable roof. This retractable roof help to cover the stadium when the weather changes. This technology is widely used in American football. Another change would be the ability to control the climate in the stadium. This kind of technology is mostly used in counties that have extreme of weather. This technology will be applied in the 2022 world cup in Qatar. This will enable them to control the temperature in the stadiums hence making them more comfortable for everyone. Another technological improvement would be the ability to beam 3D holograms. This is how it works; each game will be filmed by 200 high-definition 3D cameras strategically positioned around the pitch. It follows that crowds at 400 other stadiums around the world will then have an opportunity to watch holograms projected on to the pitch in front of them. Sound would then be recorded by microphone under the pitch. References AboutManU, (2011), Manchester United History. available at http://www.aboutmanutd.com/man-u-history.html retrieved on 21-11-11 at 10:00 am. BSI. (2011), Manchester United case study, available at http://www.bsigroup.com/en/Standards-and-Publications/How-we-can-help-you/Consumers/Consumer-case-studies/Manchester-United-case-study/ retrieved on 21-11-11 at 12:40 pm. ForeverManUnited, (2011), Old Trafford Part 3. available at http://www.forevermanutd.com/index.php/information-mainmenu-23/old-trafford-mainmenu-75/49-old-trafford-part-3 retrieved on 21-11-11 at 2:00 pm. HubPages, (2011), The 10 Largest English Football Stadiums, available at http://ryankett.hubpages.com/hub/The-10-Largest-English-Football-Stadiums retrived on 21-11-11 at 1:00 pm. MailOnline, (2010), Manchester United's Old Trafford development plan hits the buffers on 100th birthday, available at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1252232/Manchester-Uniteds-Old-Trafford-development-plan-hits-buffers-100th-birthday.html retrieved on 21-11-11 at 12:00 pm. ManUtdTalk, (2009), Old Trafford. available at http://www.manutdtalk.com/old-trafford/217/ retrieved on 21-11-11 at 10:40 am. Stadiums, M. F, (2009), Old Trafford Model, available at http://www.modelfootballstadiums.com/case-studies/old-trafford-stadium.php retrieved on 21-11-11 at 12:09 pm. TheFootyNet, (2011), Old Trafford, available at http://www.thefootynet.com/oldtrafford.html retrieved on 21-11-11 at 1:54 pm. TheStadiumGuide, (2004), The Story of Manchester United, available at http://www.stadiumguide.com/manutdstory.htm retrieved on 21-11-11 at 12:34 pm. WorldStadiums, (2011), Old Trafford. available at http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/architecture/stadium_design/manchester_old_trafford.shtml retrieved on 21-11-11 at 1:34 pm. Manutd.com- The Official Website. (2011). Old Trafford, The Theatre of Dreams, Retrieved 21 Nov. 2011 from http://www.manutd.com/en.aspx. Read More